City honors police officer for Des Plaines River rescue

Updated: April 15, 2013 6:15AM

EVANSTON — Evanston City Council members joined others Monday in honoring Evanston Police Officer Sean O’Brien for his efforts rescuing a boy from the icy Des Plaines River Tuesday afternoon, March 5th, while he was off duty.

“Evanston is enormously proud of you,” Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl told the officer in a brief ceremony before the regular City Council meeting. “Sean, not only are you a hero but you are also aware of things going on around you, which most of us don’t pay much attention to.”

The officer jumped in to save the child after the boy had thrown a snowball in and then went in after it.

In a call from the grateful mother, the following day, the officer learned that the boy was autistic and could not swim.

Reading a special commendation into the record Monday night, Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington said had the officer not been there “this young man would not have survived the event.”

O’Brien had taken some basic swim classes growing up. Putting those skills to the test “with the river, with the current, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with that,” he said.

Off-duty at the time, the 26-year-old O’Brien, a four-year veteran of the force, had picked up some food and was heading home with his girlfriend, Mallory Navarra. He and a buddy were planning to take a train downtown later to attend a Blackhawks game.

While stopped at traffic at a light at the intersection near Miner Street and River Road in Des Plaines, O’Brien spotted a boy running in the street without any adult supervision. He said the boy was dressed in full winter coat, snow pants, and orange cap.

Authorities learned later that the child was being looked after by his grandmother, and he left the house, which is located about a block from the river, without her knowledge.

“I didn’t know where he came from, but he was in the middle of the road,” O’Brien said. “At first I thought maybe he had hopped out of his family’s car.”

A citizen tried to stop the boy, but he eluded him. O’Brien then exited his car, instructing his girlfriend to call 911.

He raced after the boy, who had picked up a chunk of snow from the river bank.

“He was kind of mesmerized by it, looking at it, laughing, playing by himself,” O’Brien said last week.

The boy then threw the chunk of snow in the water and jumped in after it, his head sinking beneath the water.

“When I got in, I happened to see his orange Bears hat that was obviously visible under the murky water,” O’Brien recalled. “So I asked him for his hand and he poked his head out of the water, put his hand out, and I was able to go out a little further and grab him, pick him up and take him out of the water.”

The officer carried the boy to his vehicle, where his girlfriend was waiting along with O’Brien’s dog, a border collie and Labrador mix.

The child was crying and kept pushing buttons in the car as Navarra tired to help him calm down and warm up. Then he spotted the dog.

“When he saw the dog, he kind of went ‘woof,”’ she said. Emergency personnel from Des Plaines arrived one or two minutes later and the child was turned over to them.

O’Brien said he received a call from the mother the following night. He and Navarra are scheduled to meet the boy’s family this weekend.

The officer is gratified about the support he has received from fellow officers, and also through e-mails and social outlets such as Facebook.

The officer was credited with another dramatic rescue in 2009, when he broke out a window to save a fellow police officer from a burning car. O’Brien received a department medal of valor for that rescue.

Eddington noted the unusualness of an officer, with only a few years on the force, receiving credit for two life-saving incidents.

His girlfriend offered her own commendation, standing with Sean as he graciously received congratulations, and a little good-natured ribbing, from fellow officers and others following the ceremony.

“He’s pretty good at quick thinking,” she said. “I’m very proud of him.’’~. EVANSTON

Evanston City Council members joined others Monday in honoring Evanston Police Officer Sean O’Brien for his efforts rescuing a boy from the icy Des Plaines River Tuesday afternoon, March 5th, while he was off duty.

“Evanston is enormously proud of you,” Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl told the officer in a brief ceremony before the regular City Council meeting. “Sean, not only are you a hero but you are also aware of things going on around you, which most of us don’t pay much attention to.”

The officer jumped in to save the child after the boy had thrown a snowball in and then went in after it.

In a call from the grateful mother, the following day, the officer learned that the boy was autistic and could not swim.

Reading a special commendation into the record Monday night, Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington said had the officer not been there “this young man would not have survived the event.”

O’Brien had taken some basic swim classes growing up. Putting those skills to the test “with the river, with the current, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with that,” he said.

Off-duty at the time, the 26-year-old O’Brien, a four-year veteran of the force, had picked up some food and was heading home with his girlfriend, Mallory Navarra. He and a buddy were planning to take a train downtown later to attend a Blackhawks game.

While stopped at traffic at a light at the intersection near Miner Street and River Road in Des Plaines, O’Brien spotted a boy running in the street without any adult supervision. He said the boy was dressed in full winter coat, snow pants, and orange cap.

Authorities learned later that the child was being looked after by his grandmother, and he left the house, which is located about a block from the river, without her knowledge.

“I didn’t know where he came from, but he was in the middle of the road,” O’Brien said. “At first I thought maybe he had hopped out of his family’s car.”

A citizen tried to stop the boy, but he eluded him. O’Brien then exited his car, instructing his girlfriend to call 911.

He raced after the boy, who had picked up a chunk of snow from the river bank.

“He was kind of mesmerized by it, looking at it, laughing, playing by himself,” O’Brien said last week.

The boy then threw the chunk of snow in the water and jumped in after it, his head sinking beneath the water.

“When I got in, I happened to see his orange Bears hat that was obviously visible under the murky water,” O’Brien recalled. “So I asked him for his hand and he poked his head out of the water, put his hand out, and I was able to go out a little further and grab him, pick him up and take him out of the water.”

The officer carried the boy to his vehicle, where his girlfriend was waiting along with O’Brien’s dog, a border collie and Labrador mix.

The child was crying and kept pushing buttons in the car as Navarra tired to help him calm down and warm up. Then he spotted the dog.

“When he saw the dog, he kind of went ‘woof,”’ she said. Emergency personnel from Des Plaines arrived one or two minutes later and the child was turned over to them.

O’Brien said he received a call from the mother the following night. He and Navarra are scheduled to meet the boy’s family this weekend.

The officer is gratified about the support he has received from fellow officers, and also through e-mails and social outlets such as Facebook.

The officer was credited with another dramatic rescue in 2009, when he broke out a window to save a fellow police officer from a burning car. O’Brien received a department medal of valor for that rescue.

Eddington noted the unusualness of an officer, with only a few years on the force, receiving credit for two life-saving incidents.

His girlfriend offered her own commendation, standing with Sean as he graciously received congratulations, and a little good-natured ribbing, from fellow officers and others following the ceremony.

“He’s pretty good at quick thinking,” she said. “I’m very proud of him.’’

Show / Hide Comments